Reviews

The Warlock of Firetop Mountain by Russ Nicholson, Steve Jackson, Ian Livingstone

rainbowrachel's review

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adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

These books were a staple of my childhood, so having found an old copy, I decided to give it a look and see if it still has anything to offer to me as an adult. The answer, unfortunately, is no. This didn't really work as either a book or a game. The narrative is exceedingly simple (you go into a dungeon, look for treasure and fight monsters) and the prose is workmanlike and functional but unremarkable. The game design sensibilities are also very dated by today's standards, with a focus on learning by trial and error over multiple repeated attempts.

I don't want to be too harsh here, since I'm no longer the target audience, but I'm also doubtful that kids in the target age range would really get much out of it these days either. Appreciate this as a trailblazer and a product of its time, but don't expect to get much out of it if you read/play it today.

cpiemontese's review

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adventurous challenging mysterious fast-paced

4.0

thebardbarian_03's review

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adventurous tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.25

eriadorella's review

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3.75

fun!

arthurbdd's review against another edition

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4.5

Rudimentary but iconic. Full review: https://refereeingandreflection.wordpress.com/2018/11/01/the-reading-canary-fighting-fantasy-part-1/

abigailmeeks's review against another edition

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3.0

Kinda fun - not really my thing, I’m not into the ‘high fantasy’ genre too much but had a go with my partner. It was fun to do it together but just as a one time thing, I think I’ll leave him to do the rest alone.

obione_tdg's review

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3.0

By today standards it is lacking in many respects: very little narration (it would not be necessarily a drawback if the game part were solid), many choices are random, and no way to go back to repeat certain choices or explore others in a single session (you can do it only when you restart).
It was however one of the first of its kind, and it has likely become a classic of its genre.

ant's review

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5.0

One of the most amazing things to happen in my childhood! So many happy hours...

cadiva's review

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5.0

Another of the classics of my teenage years!

owlbesatreading's review

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4.0

RPG Book, just a pencil and some dice and off I went!

Another great book that had me 'dicing with death! (See what I did there?!😉)

Read date is approximate, but I must of been around 10 ish!